A rural farm owner near Nanaimo rescued one of her goats from a cougar attack after confronting and driving off the predator during a dramatic encounter on her property.
The incident occurred on the evening of June 6 at a 50-acre property south of Nanaimo, where several goats appeared distressed while moving from a field toward the barn.
Gina Moore said she was alerted by her dog that something was wrong and rushed toward the barn after sensing trouble.
Goat attacked inside barn
When Moore arrived at the barn, she found a juvenile cougar with its jaws clamped around the neck of her miniature goat, Donnie, which was screaming during the attack.
Acting on instinct, Moore immediately intervened.
“It was just an adrenaline moment. I wasn’t going to lose my goat. He ended up being in the perfect position with his back to me when I walked into the stall, and I punted him,” she told NanaimoNewsNOW.
After being kicked, the cougar turned and looked at Moore before retreating toward a nearby paddock.
“He turned around, looked at me, and that was the moment where I was like ‘oh sh*t, what is he going to do.’ He ran to the paddock; I think I knocked the wind out of him because he was fumbling for a few steps. Then he sat down in the corner of the paddock for maybe 15 seconds before he jumped the chain-linked fence,” she said.
Goat recovering from injuries
Moore said Donnie suffered minor facial lacerations from the cougar’s teeth and is recovering, although the animal remains shaken by the incident and has been reluctant to leave the barn.
The attack was recorded by a surveillance camera owned by an independent third party. The footage has since circulated widely on social media.
Moore, who has lived on the property since 2002, said sightings of wildlife, particularly bears and elk, have increased noticeably in recent years.
She recalled losing a beloved miniature horse last year after a black bear allegedly pulled the animal from its stall.
“She’s probably the one thing I was thinking about when I kicked the cougar because I wasn’t about to lose another animal. After my heartbreak last year, I didn’t want that to happen again,” she said.
Calls for vigilance among livestock owners
Moore reported the incident to the BC Conservation Officer Service and said she has heard of other cougar encounters involving livestock and pets in the area.
She noted reports of two goats recently being killed by a cougar in Cassidy, while several livestock deaths in the Parksville area earlier this year were also suspected to involve a cougar.
Since the attack, Moore said she has become more vigilant in monitoring her livestock and pets, although keeping animals secure while maintaining their welfare remains challenging.
Her goats, she said, would not cope well with being confined all day.
“It’s a balance, and you have to be smart about it. I think the most important thing with all livestock is have them locked up in a predator-proof barn before dark because that’s usually when things hit, is right at dusk,” she said.
The BC Conservation Officer Service strongly encourages livestock owners to secure animals in enclosed structures such as barns or outbuildings during nighttime hours to reduce the risk of predator attacks.
